Clipped Minnow Fin Fishing Trick

This fishing tip or trick
,is one of my most favorite! It works like 97% of the time... whether
you're ice fishing, still fishing fishing off the bottom, fishing from
shore or attached to a second, sitting pole with a bobber along side of your
craft.

This angling method sends out a distress call to advantageous
game fish waiting for an easy meal.

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Here's how it works...

When it seems fish just won't take an artificial lure or live bait it's a
good sign their feeding mode has been temporarily shut down. Many factors can be
attributed to their unwillingness to feed; weather conditions, light levels,
spawning periods, predatory fish threats, just to name a few.

Periods of inactive feeding patterns usually mean fish have retreated to cover
and protection, making it even more difficult to locate their holding areas.

Try this trick the next time you encounter closed mouth fish. First, locate
potential fish concentration areas. Usually fish are holding near or in weed
beds or cover adjacent to sloping drop offs and related structure. Use of an updated
lake contour map will provide excellent clues to these areas...and along with
a GPS receiver and a reliable
fish finder you can increase your chances further in locating possible game fish
holding
territories.

Next, set up a slip bobber rig on one rod and make adjustments to suspend
your live bait (minnow) just above suspected submerged structure and fish
concentrations. Then grab a medium to large size minnow and a fingernail clipper
and clip off a portion of its upper or lower tail fin. (I prefer to cut the
lower fin myself.) Either way your minnow will frantically struggle due to its
unbalanced equilibrium, caused by the weight of the hook and its missing portion
of fin.

Cast adjusted slip rig and minnow in
suspected fish holding area.
Notice the enhanced
movement of your line balance and/or bobber. With another rod, attach a preferred lure, such as a
Rapala countdown model or double jointed shad or perch representation, and make continued casts
within the area of your clipped fin minnow. More often than not, the frantic
minnow signals a distress vibration caused by the clipped fin and triggers
curious game fish to investigate. Meanwhile your Rapala portrays itself as
potentially targeting in on your super-active minnow and making itself a likely
candidate for unsuspecting large-body game fish.

Be careful though, you could very
possibly display a miniature feeding area and
end up with having a battle on both rods at the same time. When the excitement
erupts, be sure not to get your double hitter tangled up with one another. This
method also works great while fishing for crappies pan fish and trout, using
small minnows and smaller size artificial lures.